In 2022, during his Address to the people of Kazakhstan, the Head of State tasked the implementation of the national project "Comfortable School", under which the construction of 217 modern schools with 460,000 student places is planned by the end of 2025, including 105 schools to be built in 2024.
The national project "Comfortable School" aims to provide children with access to quality free education in environments that meet modern requirements, regardless of the child's place of residence.
This initiative is designed not only to improve the material and technical base of comfortable schools but also to create spaces that foster the development of children's creative and intellectual abilities.
The area of comfortable schools will increase by 15-20% compared to standard ones, and the technical equipment will be enhanced by four times. New facilities will include robotics classrooms, STEM laboratories, a choreography hall, coworking zones, and up to four sports halls, along with a training area for basic military preparation. Elementary and secondary school students will be taught in separate blocks. The ergonomic space is the main advantage of the new comfortable schools.
Significant attention in comfortable schools is given to inclusive education. Spacious classrooms with separate sanitary facilities are designated for children with special educational needs. Additionally, schools will be equipped with elevators, ramps, special signs, as well as rooms for psychologists, speech therapists, and defectologists.
The uniqueness of the comfortable school lies in the presence of relaxation areas for students and teachers, located in each block. The relaxation rooms are furnished with soft furniture, books, musical instruments, and board games.
Schools will also be equipped with modern video surveillance and access control systems.
One of the key tasks of the project is to ensure qualified teaching staff who can effectively apply new technologies and methodologies in the educational process.
Moreover, in 2023-2024, 422 schools with 510,000 student places have been constructed, marking a record achievement that addressed the issues of 32 emergency and 71 three-shift schools, as well as the shortage of student places in 200 schools across Kazakhstan.
A total of 464 educational organizations have undergone major renovations, and infrastructure has been improved. 35 facilities affected by the floods in spring 2024 have been restored. 3,130 modern subject classrooms (for robotics, chemistry, biology, physics, STEM) have been equipped in 2,039 schools.
Through the Education Infrastructure Support Fund, the construction of 89 schools with nearly 100,000 student places has been financed.
In 2024, over 80,000 teachers have completed free professional development courses.
To tackle the issues of student place shortages, three-shift education, and emergency schools, as well as to level the differences in educational infrastructure quality between cities and villages, the country is actively implementing initiatives for the construction and renovation of schools.
In 2025, the construction of approximately 200 schools will continue, providing nearly 300,000 student places.
“It is important to develop rural schools as intellectual and community centers. It is often said: ‘A village lives as long as there is a school’, — Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan.
By the order of the Head of State, the modernization of 1,000 schools in district centers and rural areas is carried out annually.
Currently, 67% (5,236 schools) of secondary education organizations consist of district and rural schools, of which 4,000 have been modernized.
Over the next three years, 1,231 schools across all regions of the country are planned for renovation, including 820 schools located in rural areas. Renovation will enhance the material and technical base of schools, implement innovative educational technologies, and improve teachers' qualifications.
These measures will help address the issue of mass migration to cities, eliminating the need for families to leave their native lands.
In all regions of the country, thanks to the construction of new educational facilities, additional jobs are being created, contributing to the improvement of the social and economic situation and the overall development of the construction industry. From 2024, approximately 5,000 teaching positions will be available in newly constructed schools.
One of the important aspects of the national project is the support for Kazakhstani producers of goods and services.
All furniture for new schools is supplied by domestic enterprises. This approach strengthens the national economy and supports Kazakhstani producers in creating new jobs and developing local industries.
Schools of the modern format are accessible to all Kazakhstani children and have become a reality on the path to obtaining quality education in comfortable and safe conditions.